With well over a year until the 2016 presidential election, some candidates have already drawn lines in the sand and announced their intent to run for the highest office in the United States.
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX), Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY), Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton have announced their candidacy for President. Here’s a quick breakdown of the candidates:
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Elected in 2012, Cruz made a name for himself with his rhetorical skills and fire-and-brimstone conservatism. Perhaps best known for his role in the government shutdown of 2013, he advocated for the elimination of the funding for Obamacare. Cruz announced his candidacy in March at Liberty University in Virginia.
Elected in 2010, Paul is son of former Texas congressman and 2012 presidential candidate Ron Paul. The Kentucky senator, like his father, is known for his libertarian views. In 2013, he staged a near 13-hour filibuster against U.S. drones on American citizens. Best known to support a reduction in foreign aid, auditing the Federal Reserve and abolishing the IRS (a belief he shares with Cruz), Paul declared his candidacy for president last Tuesday in Louisville.
Elected in 2010, Rubio is considered by many as a rising conservative star from Florida. As a sitting member on the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Rubio has battled with the Obama administration on such foreign policy issues as the Syrian Civil War, ISIS, the Iranian nuclear negotiations and diplomatic relations with Cuba. The son of immigrants, Rubio announced his candidacy Monday in Miami in front of the Freedom Tower, which was once a government processing site for Cuban immigrants.
The only Democrat to announce a campaign so far, Hillary Clinton—former first lady, U.S. senator and secretary of state—announced her candidacy for president Sunday via a video released on social media. According to multiple sources, Clinton will likely be the Democratic nominee after serving under the Obama administration as secretary of state. As secretary, Clinton advocated for an increased U.S. presence around the world and expanded global economic issues within the state department.
